Vira barked with laughter when Alori referred to the feast of tuna as a pregnancy, glancing up at her bloated, newfound friend and then rolling her eyes. "Really, Alori?" She replied, beaming and finally shaking her head. "Really? Pregnancy? That's going to be one hai of a birth; you better stand upwind of me when you do, hah!'
She then reclined even more, closing her eyes and tucking her hands behind her head whiel her body went to work digesting the gourmet in her gut. It was going to be a much more pleasing night, she thought, and if they were still hungry later, they had the fish to feast on! "Too bad Mohya can't fly us home now. I could really do with a nice hot bath. Maybe it'll thaw our bones, huh?" She laughed again, eventually falling quiet with sedation. The comforts of a good meal would weigh for a bell or more before the bitterness of their predicament returned. For now, she could simply enjoy it...
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When night fell fully once again, it brought with it plunging temperatures that saw the cave entrances icicles growing even more. The rain had picked up again, though the massive eagle insisted it was only for a little longer. The worst of it before the break came. She suggested the girls get some rest while they could before the winds kept them from it, but the young endal was hesitant to.
She feared that Alori would see the results of her nightmares again, that she would worry or fear for her own safety in the presence of the troubled woman. It made Vira linger at the caves entrance for another bell more as the darkness descended on the land, giving way to Akaija's domain, and brought with it only the moans and howls of the wind, and the hissing chimes of the awful rain. If she could let exhaustion take hold of her, the dreams would be less intense; she would be allowed to sleep more at ease, though the sleep of the dead was rarely that satisfying.
For bells and bells the rain and wind went on, sometimes tinkling quietly, sometimes pouring in a massive blanket of freezing moisture that further weighed and froze the lands. How long would it take to thaw? It was still early in the season so surely Morwens reach was not yet that great.
Inside the cave, Mohya moved to cover the two women, letting them share in her body warmth, dense feathers providing the perfect insulation for them both. This was around the 1st bell of the third and final day, Vira having finally succumbed to her need for sleep. The raptor watched them both, silent in dominion, a mute protector for them both, for now. Only when both women were fast asleep would the eagle tuck her own head atop her neck, blink her eyes a few times, and finally drift off to sleep.
She then reclined even more, closing her eyes and tucking her hands behind her head whiel her body went to work digesting the gourmet in her gut. It was going to be a much more pleasing night, she thought, and if they were still hungry later, they had the fish to feast on! "Too bad Mohya can't fly us home now. I could really do with a nice hot bath. Maybe it'll thaw our bones, huh?" She laughed again, eventually falling quiet with sedation. The comforts of a good meal would weigh for a bell or more before the bitterness of their predicament returned. For now, she could simply enjoy it...
--------------------------
When night fell fully once again, it brought with it plunging temperatures that saw the cave entrances icicles growing even more. The rain had picked up again, though the massive eagle insisted it was only for a little longer. The worst of it before the break came. She suggested the girls get some rest while they could before the winds kept them from it, but the young endal was hesitant to.
She feared that Alori would see the results of her nightmares again, that she would worry or fear for her own safety in the presence of the troubled woman. It made Vira linger at the caves entrance for another bell more as the darkness descended on the land, giving way to Akaija's domain, and brought with it only the moans and howls of the wind, and the hissing chimes of the awful rain. If she could let exhaustion take hold of her, the dreams would be less intense; she would be allowed to sleep more at ease, though the sleep of the dead was rarely that satisfying.
For bells and bells the rain and wind went on, sometimes tinkling quietly, sometimes pouring in a massive blanket of freezing moisture that further weighed and froze the lands. How long would it take to thaw? It was still early in the season so surely Morwens reach was not yet that great.
Inside the cave, Mohya moved to cover the two women, letting them share in her body warmth, dense feathers providing the perfect insulation for them both. This was around the 1st bell of the third and final day, Vira having finally succumbed to her need for sleep. The raptor watched them both, silent in dominion, a mute protector for them both, for now. Only when both women were fast asleep would the eagle tuck her own head atop her neck, blink her eyes a few times, and finally drift off to sleep.
